If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. Register yourself as a member of Eyes on Final Fantasy in order to post, have less ads, be able to read more thread replies per page, and much much more. Click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

12 reasons why FFXII HD needs to happen

Conductor Arnie Roth’s recent announcement caused quite a stir in our community. His “announcement” of a Final Fantasy XII remake made fans of the game anxious for all the Gamescom events, hopeful for any official word on the matter from SE. Sadly, Gamescom came and went, and no news surfaced. Roth retracted his initial statement, though his explanation seemed to raise more questions than answers, as the only thing he corrected was his improper use of the word ‘remake’. Fans speculate that means an HD remaster is on the way, or whether our dear Arnie simply means FFXII’s soundtrack will get more new arrangements for a new concert.

Whatever the case, fans of the series have become more eager to play an HD remaster of Final Fantasy XII than ever. And for good reason! Here are twelve magical reasons why we need Final Fantasy XII HD.

12. We can’t play it on any of the current-gen consoles.

All of the FFs preceding it have had at least one rerelease. Be it through a simple PSN port, an HD remaster or an all-out remake, the entire series up until this point is playable on current systems. The only way to play FFXII now, aside from the dubious practice of emulation, is through plugging in that dusty PS2, which might as well be dead at this point. I know mine is.

11. The world is vast.

We really haven’t had an FF with quite so big of a world with so much stuff to do before or after XII. So, in preparation for the FFXV world (which is reportedly expected to dwarf Ivalice), it might be a good idea to give the fans an opportunity to ease into that vastness, eh? Square Enix? *nudge nudge, wink wink*

10. The graphics are still beautiful today… Though we wouldn’t mind a tiny facelift.

As many of the practitioners of the forbidden art of emulation will tell you, upscaled to an HD resolution, FFXII still looks beautiful. The menus – less so. FFX/X-2 HD required a more thorough update due to being an early-PS2 game. FFXII was released in the PS2’s waning years and it really doesn’t require that much effort. Just make it a little better suited for higher resolutions.

9. The Japanese got a ton of content we never had a chance to experience.

Ah yes, the dreaded ‘International’ releases. Not that international, when you think about it, considering most of them made their way out of Japan. European fans were lucky enough to get all the International version bonuses in FFX’s original release, but the rest had to wait until the remaster came along, and not even Europeans got X-2 HD on PS2. An HD remaster would be the perfect opportunity for FFXII fans to finally get their mitts on the fabled content. And oh boy, is there a ton of new content.

8. There’s more gambits!

Not only are all the gambits accessible much earlier in the game than in the original, the IZJS (International Zodiac Job System) version of the game gives you a number of new gambits, letting you customize your party dynamics much earlier and to an even more refined degree. Speaking of more refined strategies, the International version also offers…

7. Controllable guests and summons!

That’s right! No longer do you have to look up a guide to know just what kind of spell Mateus wants you to cast to perform his special moves – you now have complete control over Espers and guest party members! On the flip side, that also means Larsa is no longer the free hi-potion dispenser. But that’s still fine, since now…

6. You can speed up your game!

Through a simple press of a button, your game can now go into MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE and level up insanely fast. Gone are the days of setting up your gambits just right so that you can leave the game on for the night and wake up to find your characters maxed out because otherwise the grind is too much. But even that can’t compare to the biggest draw of the international release, which is…

5. The Zodiac Job System!

Should the HD version we all so yearn for be of the International version, this is why it will be totally worth it, even if your initial reaction to the game was, let’s say, lukewarm. Each character gets to choose one of the 12 pre-defined jobs with a corresponding License Board. Once a character selects a board, they cannot change it for the rest of the game, and it becomes inaccessible to the other party members. These License Boards have more refined sets of skill and equipment licenses, preventing all party members from mastering the same Licence Board and becoming a carbon copy from each other.

4. The music was beautiful – but perhaps it can sound even better.

The MIDI quality was admittedly much better in FFXII than it was in FFX, but since FFX had most of its soundtrack redone for the remaster, it would be logical to expect FFXII to receive the same treatment!

3. FFX/X-2 HD was a smashing success – there’s no reason to expect things will be different for XII.

Sales for FFX/X-2 HD were so high, in fact, the SE decided to rerelease it again for the PS4. C’mon, SE. This is easy money. Give us FFXII on the PS4! Or better yet…

2. Imagine FFXII on the go.

If our potential FFXII HD follows in the footsteps of FFX, we could also be getting a PSVita release. Hunting down that tough mark or exploring every last corner of the Zerinan Caverns on the train, or during your daily commute, or even underneath your blanket as you get cozy before bed sound pretty darn appealing.

1. It’s simply a one-of-a-kind experience.

Final Fantasy has always taken steps to make each entry different from the last, but few made such bold leaps as Final Fantasy XII. Crafted by Yasumi Matsuno, Final Fantasy XII’s story takes on a more political spin than your average FF, its battle system is incredibly refreshing, and the sheer scope of the world makes us yearn for the days of the world map of old a bit less. Final Fantasy XII simply deserves to be remastered in HD if only because it dared to be different, so old fans can relive one more FF, and new fans can learn about this one unique gem in the series.

I hope they give you the option to choose between regular license board and Zodiac board (kinda like how FF X HD gives you different Sphere Grid options). No matter how many times people keep trying to convince me it's "awesome," I'm still not fully sold on the idea of limiting how I can build my characters. I don't mind limitations per se. I'm fine with some games where I choose a job and can only use those abilities, and I'm fine with predesignated jobs in games, too. But I like having some games where there is total freedom. I like the variety; I don't need a "job system" for every bloody Final Fantasy game. So taking a game that was originally about freedom of development, and making it so you can only develop in respect to your job sounds like it takes away from what makes the original system special.

Should this happen, I will of course try the Zodiac Job System. And if I like it, I'll buy a hat and eat it. But if I don't, I'd like to have the option to play with the original License Board system. Somehow, I doubt that will happen.

I like the full customization of the regular version. It's the only way I can get a Black Mage archer But that Black Mage Penelo is adorable! It would be neat to try the other version though and see how I like it

Also, my PS2 is still going strong Been playing the poop out of it with my Suikoden marathon and will continue to do so and it's doing just fine

Choosing between the 'standard' and 'expert' licence boards like in FFX would be a welcome and very easy to implement change. The IZJS boards do sound very cool and interesting, but will require much more strategy now that your reserves aren't just another three sets of HP to use.

Most of them seem pretty straightforward, but what would the Breaker, Machinist and Hunter specialize in? I imagine Breaker would use heavy weapons like axes and hammers, maybe 'berserker' would be more accurate?

Breaker uses axes and hammers and such, and gets the four breaks (Wither, Expose, Addle, Shear) without requiring an esper for thembecause in IZJS there's a LOT of individual licenses blocked off by a blank space that needs to be filled in with an esper - so you have to choose between powerups for different characters sometimes.

The machinist uses guns mainly, and also measures and bombs. The Hunter uses daggers and ninja blades, and I suppose fits the 'thief' job class the best. Although since Vaan, Balthier and Fran all have the Steal license by default, that in itself is not gonna be a problem.

Ah, so they still keep the defaults then? Good good. Really, if you wanted to match their job to their 'personality' so to speak, you could go with:

Vaan - Red Mage or Monk, he seems like a jack of all trades kind of guy, and can use his fists
Penelo - White Mage or Monk, very mage orientated in the first place, and was trained in the martial arts by her brothers
Basch - Knight or Breaker, just a very hard hitter all round
Ashe - Time Mage or Black Mage or Red Mage, another magey type, and she was a Time Mage in Revenant Wings
Fran - Machinist or Hunter or Archer, she maintains the Strahl and is like a huntress.
Balhtier - Machinist or Uhlan, largely because of guns and I can see him using a spear

I got everything in this game with no flaws. Seriously I got every weapon, armor, accessory and item. Not only that but this is probably my 2nd least favorite FF. FF2 being my least cause to get a perfect game you got like a month or more of grinding. Anyways all my friends come over and want to play this game. I quickly tell them there is no need, I got everything. So I don't really want a remake. If they did I would buy it, get everything again and hate it twice as much.

On a different scale I WOULD buy it, and I would play it senseless. The reason why it should be released or remade is it no long has use. Many gamers only have PS3 or PS4 which is hard to keep up with cause of how many consoles come and go. I would love to see more bundle packs like they did in PS1 era. Say FF1,2, and 5 on 1 disk. FF,7,8,9 on another. Release the remakes of FF3, and 4. FF10, and 12 on the last. They wouldn't even have to add stuff. Just release them for this generation of consoles.